Trenching machine



Dec. 27, 1932. c. GEORGE ET AL 1,892,525

I TRENCHING momma Filed.Feb.'l5, 1932 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1 5

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zlmwntz M 027W,

1932- c. L. GEORGE ET AL TRENCHING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 1952 Dec. 27,1932. c. GEORGE ET AL TRENCHING MACH I-NE Filed Feb. 15, 1952 3Sheets-Sheet 3 gmnnhw Patented Dec. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES LsezszsPATENT oF ics CHARLES L. GEORGE AND WILLIAM s ven voonnrs, or FINDLAY,onro, AssIeNo s TO THE BUCKEYE TRACTION nrrcnnn COMPANY, or FINDLAY,onro, A CORPORA- TION OF OHIO 'rnnnonme MACHINE,

Application fiiea February 15, 1932.. Serial in. 592,950.

This invention relates to open-ditch trenching machines, and has for itsobject to provide such a machine which combines the advantages of bothwheel-type and boomtype excavators. The wheel-type excavators have manyadvantages in use not present in boom type excavators, but on the otherhand, the depth of digging by the wheel-type excavator is limited overthat of the boom-type,

and it has, therefore, been found necessary,

where making deep cuts, to use the boom-type with loss of efficiency inother respects, for instance, greater spillage of material, less backingrigidity for the bucxets when operating in hard, stony or frozen soil,and

consequently less capacity and efliciency. 'By combining the advantagesof the two machines, greater economy, eiiiciency and capacity inoperation is obtained.

The object of our invention is the provision of a wheel-type ofexcavating means which will obviate, or at least minimize,the aboveobjections, and will combine, to a large extent, the advantages ofexcavators'of both the wheel and chain and bucket types.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, andwhile in its broader aspect it is capable of embodiment in variousforms, a few embodiments only thereof are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in

whicha Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodyingthe invention,with parts removed and broken away, and with the digging means 5partially lowered in digging position, and with the main frame onlypartially shown. Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-section on the line 22 inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 1 of a slightlymodified form of 0 the invention, with parts removed and with theexcavating means elevated to inoperative position, and Fig. 4 is a sideelevation of an excavating wheel and its mounting, with r parts removedand with the bucket-carrying 0 chain closely embracing the wheel andsubstituted for the customary wheel-buckets.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the frame of an excavatingmachine of the wheeltype, and 2 one of the customary tractor treadsup-ports therefor. Rising from the rear end of the frame 1 is anupright frame 3 constituting a vertical guide for the inner or forwardend of the boom carrying the excavating wheel.

The boom 4 is composed of two beams rigidly secured together inlaterally spaced'parallel relation and is provided at its inner orforward end with a bracket 5 pivotally connected for. vertical swingingmovements to slides 6 guided for vertical adjusting movements on'thevertical members constituting the upright frame 3, as well understood inthe art.

, The inner end of the boom is raisedand lowered on the frame 3 by acontrol cable 7 extending from a suitable operating source on the mainframe over one of a plurality of which is anchored at one end to theupper portion of the frame 3, then extends around a sheave 12 at thefree end of the boom and forward therefrom over one of the sheaves 8 andto a suitable control source on the main frame.

The customary excavating wheel is mounted for rotation between themembers of the boom t-and comprises two annular laterally spaced rimmembers 13 rigidly connected at their outer edges by the digging buckets(not shown), and having at their inner edges rack barsld forming anannular series of rack teeth '15 around the inner edge portions of therespective rim members at the outer sides thereof. Each rim is carriedby the boom through the medium of peripheral grooved idler pulleys 16,two of which are. mounted on the boom and one below the boom on a frame17 suspended from the boom, as well understood in the art.

One of the pulleys 16 is mounted on a shaft 18 which carries two rackpinions 19, one for each series of rack teeth 15 in mesh therewith, andalso carries at one end a sprocketwheel- 20 engaged by a sprocket-chain21,

which extends from a suitable source of powor on the main frame 1, aswell understood in the art.

It is understood that each rim member 13 i has an individual mounting ona respective set of guide pulleys 16, so that they may have relativerotary movements if not connected by the excavating buckets, and thateach rim member has individual driving connection with the driven shaft18. The chain 21 has the loose-run thereof guided by idlers 22, which,inthe present instance, have compensating connection with both the boom4 and upright frame 3 to adapt the idlers to accommodate themselves tothe adjusted position of the boom relative to the frame and at the sametime prevent slack in the chamber.

In changing a wheel-type excavating means to embody the presentinvention, the

buckets are removed from the rim members.

and a pair of bucket-chains 25, with a series of equi-distantly spacedcross connected digging buckets 26, are substituted therefor, each chainbeing mounted on a respective rim member 13 of the wheel and havingengagement with a series of teeth 27 attached to the rim in suitablespaced equi-distant relation therearound. Some of the buckets 26 and ofthe teeth 27 are omitted from the drawings. The buckets 26 are attachedat their sides by rivets or bolts to-brackets or extensions 28, providedon certain links of the respective chains.

In adapting the excavating means for digging a greater depth than wouldbe possible with the excavating wheel itself, the bucket chains are ofgreater length than the peripheral length of the rims 13, to adapt thechains to be extended a desired distance below the rims, and are guidedin such extension by re spective idler wheels 29 carried by asupplemental frame 30, attached, in the present instance, to the boom 4and frame 17, and projecting therefrom down between the rim members 13.The shaft 31, by which the wheels 29 are carried, is itself carried byan adjusting block 32, which is adjustably carried by thesupplemental'frame 30, so that adjustment of the guide-wheels 29 may beeffected to take up any slackness in the bucketcarrying chains.

The supplemental frame 30 has one arm extended up to and removablyattached to the boom 4, while its other upright arm is connected to thelower ends of the members constituting the frame 17 by plates 33, whichare substituted for similar triangular plates customarily employed toconnectthe lower ends of the members of the frame 17. The

upright members of the supplemental frame 30 are connected, in thepresent instance, near the upper end of one of such members by across-member 34. The members of both frames 17 and 30 are preferably ofchannelbar form,as shown in Fig. 2.

It is evident that the digging takes place from thelower reach of thebucket-chains attached to the rim members.

It is also evident that when operating in frozen ground, the excavatingmeans may be lowered sufliciently for the rim members to directly opposethe frozen portion of the soil, thereby holding the buckets in firmcontact with such portion of the soil, thus obtainingin this respect theadvantage of wheel-type excavators in connection with chain-carriedbuckets. It is found in practice, that by the use of the present chainand bucket excavating means with a wheel-type excavator that about 40%greater depth of digging can be obtained than'with the use of thewheel-carried buckets alone, and that the buckets have greater capacityand less spillage during excavating operations, and also that lessmaterial is carried over with the buckets after the dumping operation,thus resulting in greater speed and etliciency of operation. The latteradvantage is probably due to the fact that the buckets are carried bychains and are, therefore, capable of some movements relative to the rimmembers, thus tending to more readily free the between the rim members13 at the forward side thereof and extends from near the bottom portionof the wheel to a point short of the top center of the wheel, so as toprevent material dropping from the buckets in their upward movements andfrom falling on the parts disposed within the wheel. This feature iscommon to wheel-type excavators. 36 designates the conveyor onto whichthe material is discharged from the buckets at the top of the wheel andby which it is delivered to one side or the other of the trench.

In Fig.3 the construction and arrangement of parts is the same as abovedescribed,-cxcept that the extension of the chain and bucket means belowthe main wheel is slight- 1y greater than that in the arrangement shownin Fig. 1, and is rearwardly inclined with respect to a diametrical lineof said wheel when the boom is in horizontal posibucket and excavatingmeans were extended from the wheel, as shown in Fig. 1. In the formshown in Fig. 3, the means 40 forming the extension frame of thechain-guiding means is provided with two sets of chainguiding rollers 41and 42, the rollers 42 being interposed between the rollers 41 and thewheel-rims 13 to guide and brace the chains 25 during the digging runthereof.

In Fig. 4 the supplemental frame constituting the extension means forthe bucketchains is removed as well as are some of the links and bucketsof the chains, so that the chains may closely embrace the periphery ofthe wheel-rims 13. This arrangement provides all of the advantages of awheel-type excavator with the added advantage of the buckets beingmounted in a more or less yielding manner on the rims instead of be ngrigidly attached thereto, thus permitting the buckets to give to someextent when striking heavy or stationary objects. By this arrangementthe breakage of the buckets by reason of striking stones andotherstatione ary obstructions is materially lessened.

It s found in the use of this invention that the advantages of thewheel-type excavator are retained and has combined therewith some of theadvantages of bucket and chain type excavators; that it enablesconsiderably greater depth of cut to be made than is possi= ble withwheel-type excavators, and also materially facilitates the diggingoperations over those of wheel-type excavators. It is also found that acombined wheel and chain bucket excavator of this character has'greatercapacity than the wheel-type excavator, and that there is less spillageof material from the buckets during the ascent of the buckets to dumpingposition. It also'has the additional advantage thata'less materialadheres to and is carried over with the buckets from the dumpingposition.

It will be understood that our invention is notlimited to any specificarrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerousmodifications and changes without departing from the spirit of theclaims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a wheel-type excavator, a. boom, a rotatable wheel carried by theboom for projecting into a trench being dug, a chain and bucketexcavating means, and means carried by and projecting below the boom andcooperating with the wheel to guide the course of movement of theexcavating means and causing a portion thereof at the trench side of theboom to be extended a greater distance from the wheel center thanothers.

2. In a Wheel-type excavator, a boom, a

wheel carried by the boom and projected below the same for entry into atrench, drive means for the wheel, endless chain means mounted onanddriven by the wheel, buckets carried at intervals by the chain means,and guide, means carried by the boom at its trench sidefor coaction withthe chain means to project a portion thereof a predetermined distance.below" the :lwheel periphery to. in crease the effective di ging depth.I 3. In a wheeltyp'e excavator, the combination with the excavatorwheeland boom, of a guide attachment detachably connected to the'boom andprojected beyond the trench side of the wheel, andchain and bucket excavating meansjmounted on. the wheel in sub stitution for the customarywheel buckets, andcoacting With'said guide attachment to project aportion of thecourse of movement ofsaid' means beyond the trench side ofthe wheel periphery to increase the effective depth of digging of themachine. I

4. In awheel-type excavator, the combina-' tion with'the excavatingwheel and boom, of a supplemental frame attached to the boom andprojecting below the boom and wheel, and chain and bucket excavatingmeans mounted on the wheel and coacting with said frame to project aportion of the course of movement of said means beyond the trench sideof thewheel periphery toincrease the effective depth of digging of themachine.

5. In a wheel-type excavator, a boom, a

wheel, means carried by the boom and forming arotatable mountfor thewheel with a portion of the wheel projecting in digging position belowthe boom, a supplemental guide means carried by the boom'and pro- T jecting below the Wheel, and chain and bucket excavating means mounted onthe wheel in substitution for. the customary wheel buckes and coaotingwith said supplemental guid to project a portion of the course of movement' of said excavating means beyond the trench side of the wheelperiphery-to in crease the effective depth of digging of the machine. r

6. In a wheel-type excavator, a boom having laterally spaced beams,separate annular wheel rim members disposed inlaterally spacedconcentric relation between said boom members, means carried by the boomfor separately guiding the rotary movements of the rim members,supplemental guide means proj ectingdownwardly from the boomapredetermineddistance below the rim members, and chain and bucketexcavating means mounted on the rim members in substitution for thecustomary wheel buckets and coacting with said supplemental guide meansto project a portion of the course of movement of the excavating meansbelow the trench side of the rim members to increase the effective depthof digging of the machine.

7. In a wheel-type excavator, a boom having laterally spaced beams, avertically disposed wheel carried by the boom and. mounted for rotarymovements between the members of the boom, a detachable guide meanscarried by the boom and projecting below the trench side of the wheelperiphery, and chain and bucket excavating means mounted on the 5 wheelin substitution for the customary wheel buckets and coacting with saidguide attach.- ment to project a portion of thecourse of movement of theexcavating means below the wheel to increase the efiective depth ofdigging of the machine.

8. In a wheel-type excavator, a wheel comprising independent rim memberscarried in laterally spaced relation and for independent rotation in avertical plane bythe boom, with .15 a portion projecting therebelow, asupplemental guide means carried by the boomintermediate said rimmembers and projecting below thersame, drive means for. the rim members,and chain and bucket excavating means mounted on the rim members insubstitution for the customary wheel buckets and coacting with thesupplemental guide to proj ect a portion of the course of movement ofthe excavating means below the wheel to 125 increase the effective depthof digging of the machine.

9. In a wheel-type excavator, a boom, a wheel comprising separate rimmembers carried for rotation by the boom and adapted to be connected bybuckets, aguidev means projecting downwardly from the boom below thewheel, and endless chains mounted on the wheel and guide means whereby aportion of the course of movementof each chain is projected a distancebelow the wheel and excavating buckets connecting the chains atintervals.

10. In a wheel-type excavator, aboom, a wheel comprising separate rimmembers,

740 means for rotatably mounting the rim-members in vertical position onthe boom comprising a plurality of guide rolls and including a framecarried by and projecting below the boom and carrying at least one ofsaid 2:45 guide rolls, a supplemental guide means attached to said boomand frame and projecting below the wheel rims and including guiderollers at the lower end thereof, and chain and bucket'excavating meansmounted on the T wheel in substitution for the customary wheel bucketsand coacting with said supplemental guide means to project a portionofthe course of movement of the excavating means below the wheel toincrease the elfective depth of 5-155 digging of the machine. a

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names to thisspecification.

CHARLES L. GEORGE. WILLIAM G. VAN VOOItHIS.

